Shane Bond, Jasprit Bumrah
With a packed international calendar forcing teams to constantly juggle workloads and preparation, both India and New Zealand have taken steps to keep their key bowlers fresh for the upcoming Test series that will conclude a tour stretching beyond 40 days. Several frontline players were released from the final two ODIs to focus on red-ball cricket, while India opted not to include Jasprit Bumrah in the ODI squad, allowing him to concentrate exclusively on the Tests.
How challenging is it to navigate tight schedules, player availability and preparation?
If you were in the New Zealand team, you were among the best 11, 12 or 13 cricketers in the country. In an interview with TOI, former New Zealand pace great Shane Bond discussed the challenges of player management, the value of ODI cricket as Test preparation, and the recurring debate surrounding Bumrah’s availability. It’s a challenge. When I look back at my playing days, the best players in a country would generally play two formats, sometimes all three. The schedule was never as congested as it is now. New Zealand, too, can field very different squads around the world depending on the schedule. Absolutely. Nothing replicates time spent on your feet in a match. You can do all the training and net sessions you want, but it doesn’t compare to standing in the field, running from fine leg to mid-on and maintaining that intensity for six hours. The biggest risk period is always when a player is returning from injury and readjusting to competitive cricket. That’s why I think it’s pretty harsh on Booms (Bumrah) to suggest he’s picking and choosing. It applies not just to Booms but to every player. India play an enormous amount of cricket, so managing workloads is essential. You want your best players fit, fresh and ready when the World Cup arrives next Oct or Nov. Every major cricket nation is trying to achieve the same balance, especially with the demands of both international and franchise cricket.
Today, you often see two Indian teams playing simultaneously.
